While flooring is probably not the first thing on your mind when planning your dental clinic, it is a crucial part of your fitout. After all, you’ll have dozens (or perhaps even more) of people walking across your floor every single day.
There are many different types of floor coverings on offer, with pricing and maintenance requirements differing between the available options. So, it’s important to know which flooring types will suit different rooms across your dental clinic.
Reception, Waiting Room & Hallway Flooring
If you’re wanting to make a design statement with your flooring, then your reception and waiting area is the place to do it. You also have a broader range of choices for these areas as you’re not restricted by concerns about infection control or exposure to water and other liquids. However, being a heavy traffic area, durability is a key factor in your selection for your reception and waiting area. Vinyl, carpet and carpet tiles are the most popular materials for these areas.
Surgery & Steri Room Flooring
In your surgery and steri rooms, your floor coverings need to be non-slip and impervious with sealed joins. It’s also important that the flooring you choose for these rooms is easy to clean and is durable enough to withstand regular cleaning. Sheet vinyl is the most popular material for dental surgery flooring. It’s durability, ability to create coved joints between the flooring and walls and ease of cleaning makes it a smart choice for areas where sterility is important.
Vinyl Planks
Vinyl planks are becoming an increasingly popular option for dental clinic reception and waiting areas – and for good reason. They come in a wide range of natural-looking designs, and cleverly imitate other (much more expensive) flooring materials such as timber, stone or marble tile.
Vinyl planks are also very durable, stain- and scratch-resistant and easy to clean with regular mopping. And there are even environmentally-friendly options available if that’s important to you and your patients.
The main drawback for vinyl planks is price. However, if you’re able to make this investment, it’s generally worth it.
Sheet Vinyl
Sheet vinyl is a very resilient material and is a more cost-effective option compared to vinyl planks. While it is available in a range of styles and patterns, if you are wanting a look that mimics stone or wood, then vinyl planks are typically a better option.
While sheet vinyl is often used in high-traffic areas such as your reception and hallways, it’s durability and ease of cleaning also makes it a great choice for other areas of the clinic such as surgery or steri rooms. Because it is a single sheet, it is virtually seamless – meaning there is no way for water to seep in, making it great for infection control.
Nylon Carpet
Carpet is another great option for your reception and waiting areas. While not appropriate for other areas within your dental clinic, having carpet in your reception and waiting areas provides more of a homely rather than clinical atmosphere for your patients.
Nylon carpet is durable and long-lasting, and easy to clean with regular vacuuming. It’s also a natural sound-absorber and will help to quieten the many footsteps and general noise of the clinic. It also offers a more “forgiving” finish for uneven floors than most other flooring products.
Carpet Tiles
A more cost-effective option to nylon carpet, carpet tiles come in a broad range of patterns and colours. They are easy to keep clean and maintain, with the added bonus of being able to easily replace a damaged or discoloured tile without having to replace your entire reception or waiting room’s flooring.
Talk To Us
Are you planning a dental clinic refurbishment or fitout? Contact the Elite team today to discuss flooring options for your project. Or you can view our dental fitout gallery for more ideas.
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